Almost 18 months ago we were all set to open a small Montessori preschool program. The typical model of Montessori schools is that a single preschool room opens and as the waiting list grows, another class is opened. Then parents love the program and want their children to continue in Montessori, so a lower elementary class is started, and/or they have younger siblings so a Toddler program is added. This was our plan also.
We found the "perfect" location as it is in a great location--highly visible from a major highway and in a building where occupational services are offered to children--so it gets alot of traffic from families. We spent time checking with all the local officials and did a budget, a floor plan, etc., and all was going great until we got the Environmental Health office. It seems this relatively new building was built on a small piece of land and does not have a sewer system. Since preschools require a lot of sinks and toilets and the septic field was already at maximum capacity we were stopped in our tracks! Very disappointing but we took it as a clear indication that this was either not the time, not the place, or neither.
A few weeks ago as it became more clear that we needed to start with an elementary program, we went back to the "perfect" space we wanted to lease--it has set new, unoccupied for almost 3 years. This time, because we were talking about older children, the bathroom was no longer an issue--yeah! We got permission for 15 students and 2 adults. We were so excited and called the landlord to hear these words, "Oh, I wish you would have called sooner--we are signing a contract with a church this weekend to lease that space." Wow! I was really surprised and had a flashback to a very difficult time in my life 22 years earlier.
In 1980 I opened the first Montessori school in Brevard County, FL. The school began in my home church in a rented space, and in 1983 I built a building for 100 children. When Edgar and I met in 1986 and decided to get married, I knew I would need to sell the school. We had two groups who wanted to buy it. Both groups promised to keep the staff and students; one was a couple whose child was enrolled in the school, the other was the church to whom I had been leasing the school to on the weekends. The church had an investor who was out of the country but who had pledged to front the money when he got back in town before the end of the school year. Both were good offers, but we wanted to support the church so we accepted their offer and the parents invested their money elsewhere.
Two weeks prior to the closing the investor came to town and decided he didn't want the church to own our building and he withdrew his offer. To say this created a huge amount of stress is an incredible understatement! I won't recount the entire story, but suffice it to say it was a difficult time. Now, I certainly do not want to have our school anywhere but where God wants it to be, but this thing with churches is a bit unnerving!
Believing that we are supposed to open this fall with an elementary program, we sent back to our knees and asked God for the next step. This was on a Thursday. Friday afternoon Edgar came home and said, "Hey, what do you think about that little house just around the corner? It is for sale and I think we should go look at it." So we did.....stay tuned.
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